Plow



Jan. 6. 1925.

R. C. CAUGHEY PLOW 3 Sheets+$heet 1 Filed Jan. 15. 1919 WITNESSES BY 1 W 9 Filed Jan. l3. 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet z WITNESSES: f/VV NTO WW 2 $2252- 72- [wp W TTORNE-YS Patented Jan. 6, 1925.

UNITED STATES;

PATENT QFFEQE.

nonnn'r o. onnennv; on DIXON,

ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE A SIGNMENTS, TO

J. I. CASE THRESHING MACE-ZINE COMPANSZ, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, A COR- PORATION OF WISCONSIN.

PLOW.

Application filed January 13, 1919. Serial No. 270,774.

To all "whom it may may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT C. CAUGHEY, a citizen of the United States residing at Dixon, in the county of Lee and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Plows, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in plows, and has particular-reference to that ty e of plow in which a rigid frame, to which the plows aresecured, is supported on cran red axles capable of swinging in said frame to cause vertical movement of the plows relat've to the wheels on saidaxles which support the frame. The invention is, however, capable of being employed in con nection with other types of plows or implements to good advantage.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide means for positively locking the plows or earth-turningbodies in operative position, thereby avoiding uneven work of varying depths due to lost motion in the mechanism, rough ground, or other causes; to provide such means so organized that the lock control is automatically effecte'dat the same time that the operator controls'the ordinary raisingand lowering movements of the earth-turning bodies; to provide a construction which shall be simple in design and inexpensive to manufacture, while being practical and economical to. maintain and operate, and in general, to provide an im proved, efficient, plow mechanism of the cl'iaracter referred to.

In the drawings which illustrate my invention applied to the particular type of plow which I have heretofore referred to,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the bottoms dropped into operative, or plowing position.

Fig. 2 is an enlargement of a portion of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the parts in when the plows are raised out of the ground.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the latch in the position occupied when the plows are raised out of they ground.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showingwhen the plows are locked into the ground by the latch.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the front end of the plow as shown in Fig. 1.

the position occupied Fig. 7 is an enlargement of a portion of Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8-8' of Fig. 2.

In the present instance, I have shown my invention applied to a plow similar, in many respects, to that described in the United States Patent No. 1,3 i9,767 issued October 25, 1921, Henry Smith for Plow lift. The general arrangement of parts and the operation of same as set forth in this application is substantially the same as in the said Smith application.

Referring to the drawings, it'will be seen that'the frame 10 to which the plow bottoms 11 are rigidly secured, is supported at the rear by a castor wheel '12, and at the front by a land wheel 13, and furrow wheel 14-. The land wheel 13 is journaled'upon the end 15 of a crank axle 16, the upper, horizontal portion 17 of which is pivotally mounted in suitable bearings carried by the side members of the main frame. The furrow wheel l l is similarly journaled upon the crank axle 18, which is journaled or pivotally supported in the main frame a short distance ahead of the ground wheel axle 16'. In order to cause the said axles to move in unison when the land wheel axle is swung in the frame to elevate or lower the frame and earth-turning bodies carried thereby, the said axles are connected together by means of the link 19. The rear end of said link 19' is connected to an arm 20 rigidly secured to and projecting upwardly from the end of the horizontal part 17 of the land wheel axle l6, and the front end of said link 19 is connected to the rear end of a sector arm 21 (see Fig. 3). Said sector arm. 21 is journaled on the furrow wheel axle 18, to which is rigidly secured the socket 22 of an adjusting lever 23. Said adjusting lever 23 is furnished with the usual dog for engaging in the notches 24 of the sector arm 21, so that the furrow wheel may be manually adjusted as to height whenever occasion requires.

To assist the plow-lifting mechanism when raising the frame, I prefer to employ a pair of strong tension springs 24: and 25, the rear ends of which are connected to arms 26 and 27 keyed to the horizontal P01 tions of the ground wheel axles. The front ends of the said springs 24, and are adjustably connected to the cross-piece 28 of the frame by means of suitably hooked screws 29 and 30.

The rear wheel 12 is journaled on a suitably bent axle 31, the front part of which is vertical and is rotatable in a pair of mountings 33 and 34. The lower mounting 34 is connected to the frame bracket 35 by means of a pivoted link 36 and the upper mounting 33 is similarly connected to the part 35 by a link 36. The front end of said link 36 is furnished with a horizontally extending portion and a depending arm portion 37 to the end of which arm portion 37 there is pivotally connected a link 38. It will be manifest that when the link 38, shown in Fig. 1, is pulled towards the front, the link arm 36 will move down wardly relative to the frame which will therefore be elevated. The simultaneity of action between the front axles and the rear end of the plow is effected by means of a suitable link 39 connected at its front end with the upper end of an arm 40 rigidly secured to or forming a part of the land 1 wheel axle 16. In the present instance, the

arm 40 takes the form of an extension of the casting 41 which is secured to the axle 16 by suitable U-bolts 42.

I will now describe the automatic lift mechanism which, as in the Smith construction heretofore referred to, is associated with the land wheel 14 and its axle 16. The drum 43 of an ordinary corn planter type clutch is rigidly secured to the hub of the land wheel 13 which, as previously described, is loosely journaled upon the lower end of the axle 16. The other member of said clutch comprises a plate 44 to which is rigidly secured a radial cam 45 with which cooperates a cam roll 46. The clutch mechanism also includes a double ended clutch lever 47 whichthrough the agency of a suitable spring and dog, automatically clutches the clutch plate 44 to the rotating drum 43 whenever the clutch lever 47 is free to act. Said clutch lever 47 is controlled by means of an upstanding manually operated lever 48 pivoted on the lower end of the casting 41, on a bolt 49. The lower extension 50 of saidlever 48 is fitted with a pivoted roller 51 which is arranged to enter either of a pair of notches 52 and 53 in the clutch plate. When said roller 51 is engaged in either of said notches, the clutch lever 47 is engaged by said roller 51 and-held in such position that the drum 43 is free to rotate without rotating the clutch plate 44. Said trip lever 48 is normally maintained in unclutching position by means of a coil spring 54.

The cam roll 46 is carried on the lower end of a link 55, the upper end of which is pivoted to a small plate-56 riveted to a hand lever 57. Said hand lever 57 is pivoted to a sector arm 58 provided with the usual notches 59 cooperating with a spring pressed dog 60 carried by said hand lever 57. The sector arm 58 is rigidly secured to the frame 10 of the plow. The pin 61 upon which the cam roll 46 is journaled and on which the link 55 is pivoted, acts as a rivet or tie for a pair of curved arms 62, the rear ends of which are pivoted on a bolt 63 extending through the casting 41.

The arrangement so described is substantially the same as that set forth in the Smith application heretofore referred to. It will be manifest that when the control rope 64 is pulled by the tractioneer, the roller 51 passes out of the notch 53, permitting the clutch lever 47 to clutch cam 45 to the wheel. Rotation of said cam 45 elevates the cam roll 46, and with it the link 55, thereby raising the frame relative to the wheel and at the same time swinging the axles 16 and 18 downwardly into the position shown in Fig. 3. At the same time,the arm 40, due to said swinging movement of the axle 16 and through the agency of the links 39 and 38, is effective to raise the rear end of the plow frame. When the cam has arrived in the position shown in Fig. 3, the cam roll 51 falls into the notch 52 in the clutch plate 44 and forces aside the clutch lever 47, thus arresting the further rotation of the cam 45 and causing the parts to remain in said Fig. 3 position. In order to drop the plows to the ground, the operator simply pulls the rope 64 a second time, thereby freeing the clutch lever 47 and permitting the cam 45 to make a further rotational movement un til roller 51 falls into the notch 53, whereupon the clutchlever 47 will be again forced aside and the parts will. occupy the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 until the rope 64 is again pulled by the operator.

Thearrangement of parts and the operation thus far'described in substantially the same as that set forth in the Smith application heretofore referred to. The important feature of my invention is the manner in which the plows are locked in operative position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. I have' found that under certain conditions, there is a. tendency for the frame to rise and fall relative to the ground wheels, thus resulting in an uneven plowing effect. It will be observed in this connection that with the particular cam construction herein set forth, the movement of the plows into the ground is due entirely to gravity of the various parts so that in the absence of some additional restraining influence when the plows are in operative positiointhere is nothing to prevent a movement of the frame and plows relative to the wheels, which movement, against gravity, may be due to a number of causes. This objection, is the present case, I completely solve by means of a latch which automatically comes into play assoon as the ill clutch mechanism is operated to permit the plows to drop into operative position. To this end I provide as an integral part of the casting 41, a boss on which is a sharp, angular formation 66 which operates as a stop or abutment for the latch. The latch, as awhole, is pivoted upon a small pin 67 extending tansversely across and secured in the bent controlling links 62, and comprises the latch bar 38 and operating bar 69 which are united together by a connecting web 70, so that said parts 68 and 69 are integral with each other. The arrangement is such that when the parts of the lifting mechanism assume the plowing position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the latch 68 falls, by gravity, into the position indicated in Fig. 5, with the latch bar 68 engaged beneath the stop or abutment 66. The dimensions of these parts are such that there is just enough room for the latch 68 to fall into position while at the same time there is not a sufficient amount of motion to permit any appreciable relative movement of the axle in the frame.

The tripping of the latch 68 is effected automatically at the same time that the clutch lever 47 is operated by the manually operated trip lever 48. This is effected by means of a small pin or boss 71 projecting from the side of the lever L8 and arranged to strike the upper end of the arm 69 of the latch, as clearly indicated in Figs. 5 and 8. Preferably, the arrangement is such that the latch (38 is tripped sli htly in advance of the time that the roller 01 permits the clutch lever i? to operate.

The described details of construction are merely illustrative of a single application of my invention, the scope of which should be determined by reference to the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a frame having a plow bottom mounted thereon, a pair of supporting wheels, a clutch operable by one of the wheels to raise the frame, a clutch lock for holding the raising mechanism so as to lock the frame in the elevated position, and in dependent latch for locking the frame in the lowered position.

2. In a plow, the combination of plow aising mechanism comprising a cam and a part carried thereby, and a manually releasable latch for locking said part against displacement from said cam when the plow is in the lowered position.

3. In a plow, the combination of a frame, a plow bottom rigidly secured to said frame, a ground wheel, a clutch controlled cam driven by said ground wheel, a part supported on said cam for raising said frame with reference to said ground wheel, and a manually releasable latch for preventing displacement of said part off of the cam when the plow is in the lowered position.

Q. The combination of a frame, an earth turning body rigidly secured to said frame, a ground wheel, a clutch controlled cam driven by said ground wheel, a part supported on said cam for raising said frame with reference to said ground wheel, a latch for preventing displacement of said part off of the cam, and a manually operated member for controlling said clutch and thereby indirectly operating said raising mechanism and for directly moving said latch to permit elevation of said part by the cam.

5. The combination of a frame, an earthturning body rigidly secured to said frame, a cranked axle journaled in said frame, a ground wheel carried by said axle, an optionally started and automatically stopped means, including a rotary cam, for raising said frame and swinging said axle in said frame, the arrangement including a cam roll and a link connecting said cam roll to said frame, a latch for preventing movement of said cam roll away from said cam when the frame is in depressed position, and a manually operated member for controlling said frame raising mechanism and provided with means for directly moving and disengaging said latch.

Dixon, Illinois, January 9th, 1919.

ROBERT C. CAUGHEY. 

